The Long Sleep - An Aurora's Story
by Who Nose
Summary: Aurora's body is found. Detective Scrooge has to find the killer. His investigation will be full of obstacles. Idea from Astor Alexander's illustrations. Bad language and violence.


The Long Sleep – An Aurora Story

Detective Scrooge arrived on the crime scene at 5 in the morning. He was grumpy, hadn't drunk his coffee yet, hadn't had a cigarette, nor a croissant.

"What do we have there, Gyro?" he asked the forensic.

Gyro Gearloose was kneeled next to what appeared to be a young woman's body, lying on the cold floor. He sighed and got up.

"I think she's been poisoned. Gotta wait for the autopsy's results to know what poison though. All I can tell you for now is that it was a quick but painful death. Signs of struggle." He pointed to the table in the middle of the dark room. The table was wrecked, glasses were broken, food was spilled everywhere, chairs were on the floor.

"Aye. Looks like somebody fought here, indeed." The detective agreed.

"Also, looks like the girl was a junkie. Doesn't look like an overdose though."

"How do ya know that?" Scrooge asked.

Gyro pointed at her arm. Multiple needle marks could be seen, and her veins looked like they exploded from the inside. Scrooge nodded.

"I also took a sample of the food and wine, maybe I'll get something there. I'll let you know."

Gyro brought together his tools, put on his long coat, grabbed his hat and left the apartment. Detective Scrooge went to examine the body.

"Hey, Little Helper, any information on the victim?" he called.

The little assistant, a newbie who started on the police three months ago, rummaged through the papers he had in his hands.

"Uh, yes, sir, sorry, detective… her name is, uh, Aurora Costa, she was, uh, 16, living with her three godmothers. No parents or any other relatives." He rambled.

"Three godmothers? Who on earth has three godmothers?" He paused. "Do we know what happened to the parents?"

Little Helper shook his head.

Detective Scrooge got up, groaning all the way because of his rheumatism. The apartment was damp and dark. Dust was everywhere, on every inch of the furniture. In the angle of the dining room was a dirty sofa that looked infested by fleas. Stains of unknown provenance covered most of the walls. _Clearly, _the detective thought, _the godmothers were not cleaning fairies. _

"Little, I want every person who knew the girl at the post for interrogation. Especially those… Godmothers. Look for a guy, too. The girl was pretty, she probably had one." Scrooge ordered.

The newbie nodded frantically, already running towards his chores.

_Good kid_, the old man thought with a smile.

"How did ye know Aurora?" Scrooge asked.

"Well, I took care of her! I raised the girl! Oh my goodness, how can she be dead! Oh, my good detective, please find who did that to her! She was a nice girl, you know! Never in trouble, always kind, very smart, we thought she had a future outside this… this rat hole!" The first godmother was sobbing pathetically in front of him. He handed her a tissue, then asked:

"How can a young girl have three godmothers and no parents?"

The old lady, dressed completely in blue, sniffled.

"Well the poor child was an orphan. We found her outside our apartment, crying and screaming. I live with my two sisters, you see. So, we decided to adopt her. But we never wanted her to feel abandoned! That's why we told her we were her three godmothers! We know we work late, and we're always so worried to let her alone every night… Oh, I can't believe she's gone!"

And she was back to crying.

Detective Scrooge sighed and sent her away. There was no way she or any of the three sisters could have done it. They all loved the girl so much and had absolutely no motive.

His back hurt. This ugly old interrogation room filled with cigarette smell was not kind to his bones. He made his way to the waiting room, where the three sisters were crying and sobbing, sharing tissues. Each one had a color, blue, pink or green. They looked like cartoon characters. He sat next to them and sighed.

"Ladies, I'm really sorry for yer loss, but I still have a couple of questions. First of all, did ye know Aurora any enemies?"

They all shook their head and their crying went worse.

"And a boyfriend?"

The question seemed to reach its target. The sniffling seemed to decrease a little, and the godmothers exchanged a concerned look. The detective knew they were hiding something, but he couldn't use the hard way with the old ladies.

"Listen, if there is any information that could help in the investigation, ye should share it, or I'll never find the killer. You don't want yer goddaughter's murderer to be running the streets freely, do ya?" he smiled.

The pink one took a big inspiration.

"There was a guy. You know, our Aurora was a good girl, but this neighborhood has a way of dragging the white birds in its dirty mud… Have you ever heard of The Prince?"

Scrooge nodded.

_This investigation just got interesting, _he thought.

"The Prince? As in, the drug-dealer-we-were-never-able-to-catch Prince? Scrooge, if this is it, we might have a chance to finally throw him behind the bars. Do you know what that means? Finally, recognition and gratitude for our work. And also, money!" The commissioner was gesticulating around his office like a kid on sugar high. "Scrooge, this case is too big for you. I'm sorry pal, but you're not getting any younger, and we cannot risk any screw up. I'm assigning you a partner."

Before Scrooge could protest, the commissioner pushed a button and asked:

"Daisy, honey, could you please call Duck to my office? Thank you."

"Duck? Are ye kidding me?" Scrooge jumped on his feet, yelling. "Ye cannot do this to me! This little arrogant bastard will just get in my way! He's the worst detective I've ever seen!"

"And, of course, it has nothing to do with the fact that he's your nephew, I presume?" the commissioner asked sarcastically.

Scrooge rolled his eyes. His stupid nephew was going to screw up the case. He was way too arrogant for this kind of delicate investigation. But the commissioner would never let him go alone after The Prince. Scrooge would have to find another way to get rid of…

"Duck! Good to see you!" the commissioner exclaimed.

The tall, muscular man answered with a smirk. He was wearing a shirt and suspenders, all a bit too tight for him. He winked at Daisy, who blushed shyly. _What a showoff, _Scrooge sighed internally.

"Hello, Commissioner. What can I do for you?" Duck finally noticed his uncle in the corner of the room, throwing black looks at him. "Uncle? What are you doing here?"

The detective didn't answer.

"I want you two to pair up. Detective Scrooge here has a lead on The Prince. He might be the boyfriend of a victim he's investigating."

Duck nodded. The uncle wasn't happy about that, of course. He would never admit that Donald was a good detective too.

"Of course, commissioner. Uncle.."

"Ye call me detective, like everybody." Scrooge spat.

"Right. Detective? Would you mind giving me all the information about the case?"

Scrooge grunted, already heading to his small, messy office.

"Are ye sure he's gonna be here, Duck? Who's yer intel anyway?" Scrooge scoffed.

Duck only rolled his eyes and shushed the old man. He didn't want to mess everything. But his uncle wouldn't leave it alone. Duck crouched next to Scrooge, hiding behind a rusty staircase. The building looked like it could collapse at any moment. Rats were running in the walls and stains were repainting the corridor's walls.

"I found Aurora's friends, not far from where she went to school. A bit of frightening and they told me everything I needed to know about his location and activities. Wasn't really Nobel price thinking, actually. I'm surprised you didn't think of it yourself, Uncle. You're getting old."

"Shut up, ye little piece of…"

"Hush! Someone's coming."

Scrooge was still pissed off about their discussion, but he focused on the guy who came in. Or should he say, the woman?

A tall, fair woman had just entered the building. She was wearing a long black dress, and some kind of purple horny hat. She looked middle-aged, with a hard face, the kind who's seen life a bit too much.

She walked with confidence and climbed up the stairs quickly. They heard her enter an apartment on the second floor. The door opened and shut.

Duck made a sign to his men, and they all silently reached the second floor. Fortunately, only one apartment looked inhabited.

Scrooge stayed at the end of the corridor, observing. He was too old for these acrobatics. Duck counted voicelessly. Three, two, one…

They kicked the door, screaming and aiming at whatever fire response they were expecting. They quickly searched the whole apartment. Scrooge entered after they were done with their fuss, laughing lightly.

"Nephew, I must say, yer intel was gold indeed! Ye see, I did my investigation too, on my side. And do ye want to know what I learned?"

He turned to the living room, where a handsome young man was having tea with the lady they saw earlier in the corridor. Or at least, tried, before policemen invaded his home and pointed their guns at them.

"I learned," he continued, "that The Prince had a step-mother he loved very much, ye see?" He pointed at the lady in black, who seemed furious. "And as the good step-son that he is, The Prince has, every Saturday afternoon, tea with his beloved step-mom. Congratulations, nephew. Ye caught them red-handed indeed!"

Duck was fulminating. His stupid uncle wouldn't share the information, he would rather let a whole operation blow up just to see him fail! It was sickening.

"Alright everyone, put your guns down, back to the post! I'll deal with the victims here."

Once they were only the four of them in the apartment, Duck apologized deeply to the two very angry presumably drug dealers.

"My step-son is still destroyed, ruined by his fiancé's death, you know? He is in grief! Do you understand what grief means? And all you can think of is a surprise intervention at my place, destroying my door and furniture? Are you all mad?" the step-mother yelled.

Scrooge was still smirking, staying in a dark corner of the room, observing his nephew getting screamed at by the lady. He had no proofs whatsoever to support his accusations, no justifications to his actions. This pleased the detective more than it should, and he was aware of his own cruelty. And yet, he loved it.

While Duck was getting lectured, the old man decided to look around. Just because he knew that today, they would be no drug dealing, didn't mean that there was no drug dealing at all. He explored the dusty apartment. The decoration was not of the best taste, the furniture looked a million years old. The first room was the messiest bedroom he'd ever seen, clothes everywhere, bras hanging from the ceiling, the kid liked to have fun. Surely, if Duck searched through the mess, he would find some sort of illegal substance in here. But that was no real interest to the Detective. He was interested in something else he learned during his little investigation: the step-mother was no innocent woman. She was called Maleficent and was the real boss of the drug traffic around here. Also, earlier, she mentioned that Aurora Costa was not just the Prince's girlfriend: she was his fiancée…

Scrooge pushed the heavy door to a dark, stinky room. Maleficent's room, no doubt. He turned on the lights. The room was tidy, every furniture was covered with a black thick fabric that looked like velvet. The lady certainly had a peculiar taste in decoration, with the huge bed all black, the black curtains, the black carpet, but nothing illegal in sight. Scrooge had just started inspecting the top of the drawer, where framed pictures and plants were elegantly displayed when the door opened.

"Detective, what are you doing in my room? Am I suspected, too? This is just outrageous. I am nothing but an old woman, you know. Why on earth would I kill the delicious bird?" she exclaimed.

"Of course not, ma'am. I was just admiring yer plants. How do ye keep them alive in such a dark room? I'm impressed! Ye see, I'm a bit of a botanist amateur myself, so…"

"Right, right, well I'll give you tricks outside, would you mind?" she sighed.

"Alright, but I do have one more question for ye before I leave." She sighed again but let him pursue.

He leaned forward to grab something behind the door.

"What's that?" he asked, holding a smelly, heavy bag in front of her face. She frowned.

"Well, you sure aren't delicate. That's my poor, dead cat. He died this morning. See, I loved him very much. But it looks like everything I love just dies, these days. Thank you for making my day better."

She angrily grabbed the bag and tossed it back where the Detective found it.

Scrooge apologized, and he and Duck finally left the building.

Once they were in the car, Duck exploded.

"Are you mad?! You're supposed to share the information! Why would you let me do the operation if you knew it was going to fucking fail? That was reckless! I understand you have your issues with me, uncle, but if it gets in the way of important cases like this one, I will have to report you! Now they know we're onto them, they're going to be extra careful!"

Scrooge listened to him rambled for a few more minutes then finally said, calmly:

"I know who did it."

Duck stopped at once.

"What did you say?"

"I know who killed Aurora", Scrooge repeated, smiling. "I knew the operation was going to fail because I knew there was no drug dealing happening today, that's true. But I had a hunch. I needed to search their apartment, and I could never have done it without ye. They would never have let me in. And if they had, they would have been following me everywhere. I would never have found my killer."

"Well who is it then?"

"Isn't it obvious, nephew?" He smirked. "Come on, let's go home. I'll explain there."

Duck shrugged and started the car, heading to the post. His uncle was smart, sure, but he also was a huge pain in the ass.

"Come on, Scrooge, tell us. Who is it?" asked the exasperated commissioner.

"First, I have to talk to Gyro. I don't have enough proofs. Patience, dear commissioner. Good things come to those who wait, ya know?" he mocked.

The old man left his angry superior in his office, heading to the forensic office. Through the stained, yellow corridors, he came across his nephew, storming out of a room, a cup of coffee in his hand, who stopped him.

"Uncle…"

"Detective."

Duck rolled his eyes, but obliged.

"Right. Detective, would you _please_ be kind enough to tell us what you found while you were humiliating me? I'm gonna be in trouble if we don't bust the killer…" he complained.

Scrooge just smiled and shrugged, leaving another angry colleague behind him. Maybe he was enjoying this a bit too much, but he could. He was, after all, still the best detective here.

Finally, he reached Gyro's office. He knocked, and Little Helper opened the door.

"Oh hello Detective Scrooge! I was actually going to call you! We found something interesting while performing the autopsy on Miss Costa's body."

"Let me guess. Any trace of deadly nightshade in there?"

"Indeed, old friend, indeed." Gyro smiled from the other end of the office. "As usual, you were right. It was not easy to trace, and honestly, if you hadn't told me to look for it, I would have missed it. It was a smart murder."

Scrooge smiled.

"Not as smart as me. Tell me more, Gyro."

"Well, there isn't much to say. I analyzed her blood and there were traces of Belladonna in there. It was not very present though, because she's been dead for two days. But still enough. Judging by the marks o her arm, I'd say it was injected. But not violently, though. She was a regular drug user. The killer knew her, and knew what he was doing."

"What she was doing, my friend. What _she _was doing."

"Wait," Little Helper exclaimed, "you found the killer?"

"I just might have. I have to go check on one last thing."

Scrooge left the office with confidence and went straight for his old police car. It started, roaring and grinding. He headed straight to The Prince's apartment.

"Where's my Uncle? Hey, O'Hara! Have you seen my uncle?"

O'Hara shook his head. Where could the old stubborn mule be? Duck hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Hey, Duck!"

He turned towards the voice, coming from another desk. Across the crowded hall, officer Horsecollar was calling him. Duck walked to his old friend.

"His ol'car. It's gone. T'was in the parking not two hours ago. But the guys couldn't find it during the last round. S'ry pal. Yer Uncle is a slippery one."

Duck was fulminating. His stupid uncle thought he could take anyone by himself, as usual. But he often forgot that he was not 25 anymore. Grunting and muttering, Duck left for the station's garage.

Scrooge knocked two times on the door. The door opened on a disheveled Maleficent.

"Detective." Her voice was as glacial as ever. "What are you doing at this time of the night, knocking at my door? Is that how police treat citizens nowadays? It's a scandal."

"Good evening, ma'am. So sorry to bother ye. But I just had a crazy theory about yer future daughter-in-law, ye see, and I wanted ye to hear it and help me. May I come in?" he smiled.

The mother-in-law groaned but stepped aside to let him through in her apartment. Scrooge analyzed quickly his surroundings: they were likely alone. Good.

"So what is the fuss about, Detective Scrooge?"

The old man took an old wooden chair from the living room, who had been tidied up since last time he was there, and sat on it, facing the old woman.

"Well, I think I might have a lead on Aurora's death. Care to hear the scenario?"

The woman flinched but said nothing.

"Alright." He resumed. "Let's start at the beginning then. Aurora was your son's fiancée. Now, everyone at my station thinks yer son is the king of the drug dealing in this town. But I have another theory ye see. I think, ma'am, that _you_ are the real queen 'round here." Scrooge shifted a bit on his chair, groaning with pain. "Sorry. My rheumatism is killing me. Anyway. So, Aurora. I don't think she was the white little bird her godmothers thought she was. I think she was a threat to ye, actually. And that, ye couldn't bear. The girl was stealing yer son and yer business… she was trouble."

Scrooge paused and scanned the lady. She hadn't moved a muscle, but he was still very careful. Don't trust the sleeping water, they say. He continued anyway.

"I saw ye were a true botanist in yer room. As I told ye earlier, I know a bit about plants myself. And I couldn't help but notice the beautiful deadly nightshade that was growing on yer nightstand. Interesting choice."

"You're mistaken, detective." The lady cut him off. "It was not a deadly nightshade, but a Parish's nightshade. You should review your botanical knowledge, Mister Scrooge."

Scrooge smiled.

"I know the Parish's nightshade, and I know the similarities between the two species. But ye see, the Parish's nightshade does not kill, ma'am. The deadly nightshade does, however, and it is known to be fatal to pets. Are ye feeling better about your cat, ma'am?"

Maleficent paled suddenly.

"Also, as I am not a foolish detective like my dear nephew, I asked my forensic to analyze yer dear daughter-in-law's blood. And guess what we found…"

Scrooge was interrupted by the ominous sound of a click and the cold metal against his temple.

"You're asking too much questions, Detective Scrooge. And I don't like your suspicions. Are you… accusing me? That would be dreadful, because, you see, my son was very in love with airhead blond. And if he'd happen to hear your mad theory… I fear he would kick me out. Or worse. You can see where my problem lies." She said in a smooth voice.

The mother was not at her first kill, the detective guessed. He slowly reached out for his gun, but she was faster than she looked. She took his gun, swift as a coursing river, and laughed.

"I ain't no beginner, Scrooge. You won't get me with your little… tricks. You think you're such a smart detective, only looking for the obvious. But you see, the play here was a little bit more complex. Indeed, I killed my future daughter-in-law. However, honestly, it was pure self-defense. My dear Aurora was in fact a little bitch. The nightshade was not my idea. It was hers. She planned everything, except the fact that I was smarter than her. The man who sold her the plant is an old friend of mine. She didn't tell him what she wanted to do with it, but he knew our little situation, so he called me right away. When she invited me over for dinner, without my son, I was not fooled. I knew she was ready to eliminate me and take over my kingdom. Before I left for her apartment, I prepared a little magic potion. When I sat at the table, she went to go and get some wine, in which she probably put her own poison. When she returned, I offered her to test a new drug I wanted to start selling. The girl was a junkie, she just couldn't resist. Of course, the effects were not as pleasing as she expected. Wasn't really genius, but I had to save my life. The poor girl died completely confused about what was happening to her. See, detective Scrooge? No story is that simple. Now, I have to shoot you. I'm sure you understand "she smiled

"Well, I sure hope my little escapade won't be unnoticed for too long then. My stupid nephew does like to watch me very closely. He surely is looking all over town for me. He ain't a bright mind, I reckon. But he ain't that stupid. So, you should put yer gun down, ma'am."

"Or I could just shoot you right now and run away."

Scrooge shrugged.

"Sure. But then you would have to run away from town and that wouldn't be very productive for yer little drug dealing, don't ye think?"

At this moment a loud bang interrupted the conversation, followed by another bang, this time, from the gun the lady was holding.

Duck barged into the apartment, all guns blazing, yelling for his uncle. Maleficent dropped her gun just after firing it, hit by ones of Duck's bullets. The whole scene got blurry for Scrooge. There was pain, yelling, floor, and dark.

When Scrooge woke up, he was feeling even worse than usual, which was annoying. He grunted consequently. His eyes opened on a very white room, full of beeping devices and a clean smell. He didn't need his full detective mind to guess he was in a hospital. The question he couldn't answer was why. He managed to sit in his bed and finally could see the whole room. There was no window. His arm was attached to a tube with transparent liquid flowing through it. A stupid machine was beeping rhythmically, symbol of his heartbeat, on his right, and next to it, sleeping in a very uncomfortable looking chair, was his stupid nephew. Scrooge couldn't repress a smile. He liked the little bastard, whatever he could claim. He was still blood after all. A cough took him, and he felt a blinding pain coming from his left shoulder. He gasped and looked down. The damn lady got him after all…

"Feeling better?"

Scrooge jumped.

"You're awake then. Aye, just feeling a bit sore, ye know?" Scrooge shrugged.

"Right. You've been shot, but obviously, just sore. You're an idiot, Uncle."

Duck sighed. He looked worn out.

"How long have I been out?" Scrooge asked.

"A few hours."

"What happened at the apartment? Did ye get her?"

Duck only nodded. Scrooge knew the look though. His nephew had to kill last night. Even a bitch like the old Maleficent, killing is never nice. Especially with all the paperwork and the judgment, people asking you why did you have to do it, couldn't you have avoided it… Scrooge had been there, he knew Duck was dreading coming back to the station.

"Hey, kiddo. It's gonna be fine. Ye'll be fine. Alright? Ye did what ye had to do, and everybody at the station know ye're the bloody best of'em. Nobody is gonna give ye crap."

"I'm gonna give myself crap, Uncle. I wish I didn't pull that trigger. But I was so scared. I didn't want you to…you know."

Scrooge smiled gently.

"Ye did fine. Ye're a good kid."

"I ain't a kid, Uncle." Duck protested. But the old detective was already asleep.

"Already back, Scrooge? Ain't you tired? You should be resting, you know!" the commissioner asked him.

"No, commissioner. I'm a tough one, ye know? These amateurs aren't gonna kill me yet!"

The commissioner only laughed. Of course they wouldn't.

"Scrooge? We might have something for ya. Are ya up to?"

"'Course Gyro. Tell me everything."

"We have a weird case of murder… A man sneezed to death. Interested?"


End file.
